Around 2000 we had a visiting GA from Salt Lake visit the SP in Knoxville. During the visit the GA told the SP that he believed that if anyone was still on the rolls that were inactive, that they should be taken off the membership rolls.
The SP thought that what the GA told him was actually a command from SLC and sent the missionaries to all of the inactive homes in the stake.
Then he held disciplinary councils (multiple ones) and excommunicated those whom the missionaries felt didn't want to be members any longer. This caused problems with family members when they found out they had relatives who were excommunicated and problems with members when they received their letters from the SP stating such. It did not sit well.
About a year after the deluge of excommunication paperwork reached confidential records in SLC, an apostle flew down to have a talk with the SP.
Apostle: Why are you doing what you are doing?
SP: Because GA X said so.
Apostle: NO! DO NOT DO ANY MORE OF THESE!
True story. I heard this from the SP's 2nd counselor who was present at the meeting between the apostle and the SP.
You story makes me wonder if the same SP is at it again in another part of the vineyard.
a mix-up with some member who DID submit a resignation letter, whose name is similar to milamber's real name.
The church has been HOUNDING members to go after inactives. To then hand an exit letter to an inactive who didn't even ask for it makes no sense (unless it was a mistake.)
Let us know about any further developments, Gullibles T or Milamber!
To set the stage, my oldest dd and I resigned 2 years ago. Dh & I are on the same page & he hasn't been back to church since then either.
Fast forward a little: We have a TBM neighbor, (a black guy, I say this because I have been sooo tempted to get him the volume of JoD where BY gives his love to back people everywhere.) n e way, about 3-4 months ago, my dh stepped out for a smoke and was seen by our neighbor. About 3 days later 2 of the bishopric showed up on doorstep with a letter telling dh what he had to do to resign. Dh was, more or less, "Yeah, whatever, I'll look into that, blah, blah, blah." We hadn't heard shit from them since. Then today his letter, 'as per his request', came in dated Feb. 4th.
My suspicion is that they didn't want to have to ex him since we were all kind of 'friends' before we left. (He (the now bish/former HC) loved us sooo much that when he was just a HC he ratted us out to the Bish for not being at church when we told him about our plans to go to Elich Gardens one Mother's Day. Maybe the institutional guilt actually worked in our favor for once.....)
I had just never heard of someone 'resigning' without actually having to resign.
COOL! I guess apostates do get blessings after all!